The Lost Chapters
by Apsaras
Summary: The Gaang traveled through the desert to get to Ba Sing Se so they could tell the Earth King their plan and to find Oppa. What if along the way they met people who called themselves shinobi? What if these shinobi could easily beat the Avatar? Would they become friends or would they be enemies? These chapters were lost, I don't know how, but now I found them...now you can read them.
1. The Secret Empire

"_Water. Earth. Fire. Air. My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the War. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe. Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads, and that the cycle is broken. But I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow, the Avatar will return to save the world._"

* * *

However stories can change...

* * *

"_Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. But I believe Aang can save the world._"

* * *

And more than Ounce...

* * *

"_Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, we were told that there were only four nations and that they lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and many people were hurt. It is said only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when he vanished my brother and I discovered the new Avatar a hundred years later, and now it seems not only the Avatar can stop them, but these newcomers as well! And although Aang's airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he can even reach their level, let alone save anyone. But I believe Aang and our new friends can save the world!_"

* * *

BOOK TWO:

EARTH

(The End Of)

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

THE DESERT

* * *

"Tell-l me-e where-e Oppa-a is-s!" Aang managed to say in the Avatar State. "I traded him, to some merchants; he's probably in Ba Sing Se by now. They were going to sell him there." No matter what the son seemed to say, it just angered the Avatar even more. "Please...we'll escort you out of the desert, we'll help however we can." The son tried again in a begging tone.

None of the offers were working on Aang so Sokka grabbed Toph and Momo and started to run. "Just get outta here. Run!" The sand benders were all taking the meat-loving guy's advice. They all abandoned their sand bender sailors, and ran for cover. However, Katara, stayed put.

When Aang started to float up in the sky Katara walked up to him, grasped his wrist, and pulled him back down into a hug. Eventually the air surrounding Aang started to relax and the sand whirling around him calmed down but Aang was still crying because he had lost Oppa.

* * *

CHAPTERS UNKNOWN:

THE LOST CHAPTERS

* * *

It was a cold chilling night in the desert as the Avatar and his friends waddled through the sand. Everyone was exhausted and just wanted to rest but if they rested every single second of every single day they wouldn't get to the Earth kingdom until next year. And by then the comet would have already come and gone. They can't let that happen so they just kept trotting along.

"Okay, I don't care what you guys say, but I'm tired and I can't go anymore. On top of that my feet are killing me and I see with my feet so that isn't a good thing!" Katara easily agreed to her saying, "You know what, I actually agree with Toph on this one. Let's take a couple of minutes and just lie down, what do you say?"

Right when the words left her mouth she regretted them. Sokka fell down on his rear and immediately fell asleep sitting up. Aang didn't do real good either, he literally fell face-first in the sand. Momo ended up using Aang's back as a pillow and/or bed. Katara turned around to reply to them all before it was too late. She only wanted to rest for a few minutes and then keep going but even Toph was sleeping, and she was sleeping in the position you would make snow or...er sand angels out of.

"Guys...no matter how much we want to lay down we have to keep moving." When Katara got no reply she knew she had lost the unsaid battle. She normally would have woken them up without another thought but she was also tired and just wanted to rest. So Katara finally gave in and she let the darkness of her mind take over. Little did any of them know that there was a major sand storm coming their way.

* * *

_" On the count of three I want you to tase him again. Got it? One, two...three!" __**His**__ followers listened to __**him**__. They would always listen to __**him**__. They would do anything for __**him**__ after all. They would even take their own lives just as long as __**he**__ said the word._

_**How** they got that way you don't know. **Where** they are you don't know. **Who** they are you don't know. At least you don't know, __**yet**__. But of course** I** know. **I** am the only one who knows that can tell you. How unfortunate is __**that**__. But for now you will just have to bear with the knowledge that __**you**__ do __**not**__ know. And even better than __**not knowing**__ is __**knowing**__ who actually__** does**__._

* * *

Momo was a little pest. Maybe more than a little, but he was still defiantly a pest. At least that is what Aang was thinking. It wasn't when Momo started jumping on him or trying to roll him over. It wasn't when Momo was tickling his feet with his fur neither was it when Momo put his tail under his nose to make him sneeze. It wasn't the scratching of Momo, yelling of Toph, complaints from Katara, or the drunken-cactus-juice-guy of Sokka again.(How he got into the cactus juice again no one knows).

But when all the noise died down is when Aang knew something was wrong. First Toph asked what is was. Then Sokka started screaming _"The sky is falling, the sky is falling!"_ Immediately after that Katara hushed them all and said _"Oh, no."_

That is when Aang jumped up from his sand bed to see what all the commotion or should I say non-commotion was about. But what Aang saw made him scared. Not to far away from them in the distance was the worst sand storm anyone of them has ever seen. In fact it was the worst storm they ever saw. But what scared Aang the most was that it looked even worse than the storm that made Aang freeze himself in the first place.

None of them knew how long they had been out of it so they didn't know what time it was. It was dark out so it could pass as night-time but they were no stars in the sky so it could just be the storm that made it so dark. The storm itself looked like a big dark tanned color cloud that was on the ground. But in some places of the sand cloud it looked more deadlier. The outline of their upcoming doom was the tan color but after that it had more of a dark brown color. In the center of the unfriendly sand cloud was an evil dark green, purple, and even more terrifying dark brown.

Sand was whipping all around the five members of the group (including Momo). The storm was coming up fast and not soon after they all got a good look at it they had to cover their eyes from the sand that would not stop coming. No one knew what to do and they were all scared at different levels.

Katara was covering both of her eyes with her left arm and stood up. She turned to her right where she last saw Toph and blindly swatted at the sand to try to find her. She yelled Toph's name a few times but didn't get any replies so she started to worry.

Fortunately Aang heard Katara and found her. He was covering his eyes as well but with the half of his shirt that had been pulled up. But Katara wasn't the only one worried. Although Aang heard Katara he also did not hear any reply from Toph.

"Katara! Try and find Toph! I will try to get Sokka over here! Hurry! I have a bad feeling about this storm!" Aang then called for Sokka and traveled a bit until he found him. Sokka had curled up in a fetal position with the sleeping or knocked out Momo and was whimpering lightly. Aang grabbed Sokka's arm and Momo's tail, turned around, and headed back the way he came from.

When he didn't find Katara again he called out, "Katara! I found Sokka but I can't find you! Have you found Toph!?" Katara replied, "Yes! I found Toph but it looks like she had a blow to the head! Maybe a rock hit her head to make her pass out!?" "Well at least you found her! We should stay together before the storm-" It was too late. The storm was already upon them.

At the exact moment Aang was saying that the wind had been so strong that it knocked him against the sand. Aang was out of it in a matter of minutes. Katara didn't know what to do so she sat down and hugged Toph asking for the storm to let up soon and that no one would be hurt. But like Aang the out of control wind put her in a mind of sleep.

Sokka was the last one awake and the storm had knocked the cactus juice out and some sense into him, literally. He looked around to the best of his abilities but could not see anything. He tried to get up but the force of the wind pushed him back down. Sokka knew at any moment he would pass out, but for how long, he couldn't help but wonder.

As Sokka's sight was at first blurry he thought he saw something else. His vision was starting to get black patches but Sokka could have sworn he saw something fast and yellow before he finally passed out.

* * *

"Where did you say you found them again?"

Aang was starting to wake up and looked out of the corner of his eye. He saw everyone else and they too were all awake but he could see that they were all pretending to sleep. They were probably doing this because they wanted to know what they would have to deal with and if it was even a problem. While Aang was looking at his friends he couldn't help but see that Toph looked kind of strange...he didn't know what the mixed emotions on her face meant.

Aang looked around to observe the room they were in. They were all laying on white beds with sheets and pillows. The room was mostly white and they were chairs next to each bed. On the other side of the room they were two people discussing something. One of them had a face that was angry yet teasing while the other one was grinning.

The two of them were sitting at a little glass rounded table. There were flowers on it but they were all yellow. Behind the two strange people was a big semi-circled window. The sun was shining through the window making the room a light golden hue. Outside the window you could see a pretty light blue sky meaning it was early morning.

Now that his senses were more alert he started paying attention to the conversation. He was keeping his eyes covered to the point where he could see them but if they were to look his way they wouldn't know he was awake.

She asked this question yet again. And like all the other times he had answered he replied, "I already told you. I found the four of them and the lemur in the desert during a sand storm. How many times do I have to say this over again until you believe me?" The "unconscious" group all noticed that his voice started to sounded whinier than it had started.

Aang could see more clearly now so he could tell the one who spoke was a boy and that the one about to speak was a girl.

"Okay, okay already, but will you remind me why you were in the desert during a sand strom?" She asked in a demanding tone. Even though the boy really didn't need to answer any of her questions he thought he would amuse her. "I was walking in the desert trying to clear my mind when I found them lying there unconscious."

Aang assumed they were talking about him and his friends. But the others, Sokka, Toph, and Katara already knew that and were also eavesdropping on the conversation.

The girl asked a different question this time, "Oh, really? Why were you trying to clear your mind in a sand storm? If my head hurt the combined form of sand and storm would be the last place I would want to be." Now they could tell she was just messing with him.

"Could we just drop the conversation? Jeez, it seems like every time something happens you are always interrogating someone. Do you know how annoying and unnecessary it is?" The boy talking somehow said that in an even more desperate tone of voice.

"Yeah. I'll talk to you later." The boy then exited the room and once he did the girl turned to look at them. "Did anyone ever tell you not to eavesdrop on someone else's conversation before?" Aang and his friends sucked in their breath. After all they still didn't know where they were yet and if these people were on their side or not. "O come on. I know the four of you are awake. You don't have to pretend anymore. Sit up and talk to me."

Sokka slowly sat up and looked at the girl a little more. She was strange, probably the strangest girl he has ever seen, but what really caught his attention was the color of her hair. After Sokka got up Katara and Aang followed his lead and they were also surprised by her hair. The girl's hair was pink!

Toph was the last one to sit up but she already looked surprised. None of the others could tell what her emotions ware let alone what she was thinking. But the way she moved her head, the way she looked around, and the way her eyes landed on the girl made the others confused, surprised, and made them feel like she was actually seeing what was around her with her eyes. But that is impossible...right?

Sokka was the first to speak, "Where are we and who are you?" The pink-haired-girl chuckled a little than replied," Right to the chase, huh? I should be asking you the same questions. Why don't you tell me who you guys are and then I will answer your questions, okay?"

Sokka looked around at the others to see what they thought and responded, "I am Sokka from the Southern Water tribe, this is my sister Katara, also from the Southern Water tribe, Toph Bei Fong, and Aang the Avatar." Sokka pointed at each person as he went along.

"And this is Momo, our flying lemur." Aang put in before she replied saying, "Well it is nice to meet you. Let me assure you that I will not harm Avatar Aang or you guys as long as you repay the favor. I-"

"Can you answer the questions my brother asked you not to long ago?" Katara cut in. Even though the girl said she would not hurt them they still didn't know if they would believe her or who she was.

"Oh. Right now you are in The Secret Empire, 5 Dìguó or The 5th Empire, Bìfēnggǎng or otherwise known as Safe Haven."

"I have never heard of that before. Are you su-" However she cut off Aang.

"We would rather have it be where you have not heard of it. We don't want the war coming here. After all it isn't called The Secret Empire or Safe Haven for nothing."

"You told us of the city we are in but we still do not know your name." Toph jumped in.

"Oh right. I almost forgot to tell you my name. My name is Haruno. Sakura Haruno."

* * *

I had a new idea for a story so I wrote it. I would really like it if you could review for this chapter. This is an idea and if I feel like no one wants to read it I will remove this story...cause what is the point of writing a story no one reads?

So...I **_will_** probably _**not**_ continue this story until I have**_ 3_** reviews. _Thank you_.

~Apsaras' out;)


	2. Who's leading?

This chapter _**will**_ explain to you why I chose the rating T for **_teen_** instead of a lower rating. And there will be more of these type of things later on.

**_You are warned!_**

* * *

_"Boom...Booooom...shshhshshshhshshck."_ "Hurry! We've got to get out of here before they see us." Kotetsu hurriedly said. "_BOOOM!"_

"General, we need to-" "-_**BOOOOM**__-"_ "-leave now!" Kotetsu told the person in charge. "But we can't just leave Haku, Mei, and the others behind! Even if they weren't always friendly!"

"I know, but right now we need to get out of here if we want to live and save them later." Another man with silver hair told the general who also happened to be his student.

Our young leader thought about his old teacher's suggestion. _"BOOOOOM"_ If they went out now to save their comrades they would be outnumbered 10:1, but if they left now they could come back to save their friends if they weren't already executed anyway. _"SHSHHSHSHCKCK"_ Either way it was a risk...both of them deadly. "Men! Go back to the boats!"

"But sir!-" A man in brown tried to reason with their captain. He didn't want to leave their old comrades either.

"-Now! Hurry up before I change my mind!"

The group of 23 men traveled back to the boats to rendezvous with the other 35 soldiers they had. They tried to be as quietly as possible. Sneaking through a forest wasn't always that hard..._"Crunch" _"Ouch!" "Kotetsu!" "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." But then again if you fell out of a tree or stepped on a stick that didn't help much with the "sneaking" part of their plan. While they traveled through the darkness of the forest they had to be as discreetly as possible because they didn't want any _"unwanted eyes."_

"Shit!" In front of the warriors were about 58 fire nation soldiers checking out the boats they used to transport them here. "If they destroy our boats we will have no transportation to go home yet alone get away from this place." Kotetsu put out.

All of the other soldiers agreed with him and they began to get nervous, anxious, and scared. What where they going to do? They couldn't just march down there and nicely ask for their boats back I bet they would've all died in less than 5 seconds doing that. And if they just attacked they would easily be defeated...but then again they did have _their_ leader, _his_ teacher, and a few other good warriors among their ranks. Some of the men regained their courage thinking about this but still...

"What do you want to do?" The teacher asked his disciple.

The warriors waited a while before they got a response from their incredibly powerful leader. During the silence our prodigy was thinking of some ways to get out of this mess and go home. He was good at solving problems and making plans but he had a friend who was even better at it then him...better than anyone he knew actually. _Oh...Shikamaru? What I would do to be you right now..._

"I have plan. Listen up very carefully because I am only going to go through the strategy ounce. We're all going to have to pitch in and it could be a little dangerous. Who's with me?"

They all agreed easily...when their leader had a plan it was a damn good plan. "Let's do it." "Yeah" "Woo-hoo."

"Okay._ Kakashi-sensie_...this is what I need you to do..." And so he told them of his plan. And the others were right; it was one good _impenetrable_ plan. All they needed to do now was contact the other group and strike. After that, _when_ they won they would contact home and tell them they were coming home. I mean after_ 5 months, _some people might get homesick.

"Okay. I will do my best..._Sasuke..._"

* * *

The Gaang were shocked, including Toph. What Toph had told them was amazing but it was_ impossible_. They would all have to get used to it, but it was too bad it would only be like this in this village. But then again this shouldn't have happened anyway. _Also_...imagine what **other**_ magical_ _properties_ this place could have_ or_ do?

After the bizarre news that was bombed on them they had checked out of the hospital. Sakura had formally introduced herself and offered her services. She told them that she would take them on a tour in the morning the next day...which was coming up in a few hours. At the moment the members of Gaang were talking together and trying to guess what this place was like. They all believed Sakura was nice and a little cheerful but they also believed deep down inside her she was like Katara...where she could get angry fast..._real_ fast.

Sokka felt much better from the previous days and now was cleaned up to. They all had taken showers today that took forever and they had clean clothes they could wear while there original cloths were being washed. Sokka was wearing a long-sleeved light and dark blue kimono with black shadowy bamboo sticks on the bottom. His hair was still up but it was in more of a bun shape than a ponytail shape.

Katara was also wearing a blue kimono but it was much lighter than Sokka's and instead of black bamboo sticks at the bottom there were white camellias. Her kimono was also mid-sleeved and she had her hair down in a ponytail without her braids and her normal "loop-bangs."

Aang was wearing a plain yellow-y-orange kimono with a dark brown sash. Unlike both of Sokka and Katara's kimonos his was plain with no designs on it. He had short sleeves no his outfit. He also had his staff polished and put away neatly behind him. Momo was also groomed and livelier than ever. Is that a good thing...

Last but not least there was Toph. She was wearing a light green kimono that had long sleeves that drooped down. Her kimono was nicely ironed (they wondered what that meant) with beautiful flowers, leaves, and stick designs. On top of her fabulous kimono her hair was nicely brushed in its usual bun but without her headband-crown-thing. But the most remarkable thing about her was that her eyes...they sparkled and lit up the room. They were hypnotizing and took in everything she saw..._yes_...what _she_..._Toph _who was "blind"..._saw_...

"You guys look great..." She exclaimed.

"I will _never_ get used to _you_ saying _that_...**_Toph_**..."

* * *

_None of **His** torture methods were_ working..._**He**_ _had tried everything in the book. **He**_ had tried_ drowning his victim, suffocation, electrocution, whipping, emotional typed of torture, **He** even tried to brainwash him in a way._

_Then **He** did it. The worst torture **this** kid would have. He pinned his victim to the wall and started toying with him.. **His** victim usually showed no emotions when put through torture but now he was just confused, disgusted, and a **bit** scared. And unlike all the other times you could clearly read it._

_Seeing the look that crossed **His** victim's face for a few seconds amused **Him**. Very carefully so he would not hurt his precious plaything **He** whispered into the other's ear **soo** gently but firmly. immediately after that he smacked **His** lips to his now squirming hostage. **He** found out somethings that very important then. If **He** ever wanted to break **His** opponent torturing him wouldn't work but this...**this** could. But the most stomach-turning part of it is that **He** liked it...**He** was happy kissing him...how much happier would **He** be doing similar but totally different things. **He** wanted to do it..._

_**His** time was running out. **He** had other things he needed to get done. **He** was completely full for the day. **He** wouldn't be able to make any more time for **His** victim today. But who cared about the rest of **His** agenda...not **Him**. **He** decided that **He** would do anything to be with this perfect hostage of **His**. Every time **He** kissed him **He** could feel the softness of the other's lips. Whenever **he** roamed **His** hands around the other's body **He** felt the perfectly flawless pale skin of the much younger other. **He** could feel him squirm and start to whimper pleadingly to stop it. But oh, no...**He** loved this feeling...**He** loved **it**...**everything** about** it**...the kisses, the pleads to stop, the squirming, the wonderful naked skin, the emotions that **He** was finally getting out of **His** hostage, that **He** was** finally** torturing him, but the thing that most amused **Him** was how **His** victim knew **He** liked **it** and how that brought disgust and a scared look to his victim's face. _

_**He** likes **His** victim's body. No...**He** loved **His** victim's body...and know **He** wanted **it** _soo_ badly..._

* * *

"You guys ready for a tour of the place." Sakura came in unannounced while laying their now clean cloths on the ground. "Get changed into your cloths and then come outside when you're done. I'll be waiting."

Sakura went outside waiting for the Gaang to get dressed. They all got in their regular cloths, shoes, and headgear. When they were done, ready, and set to go they picked up their items and left to find Sakura. She wasn't too far away. When she spotted them she flagged them down and began walking to the north.

"_Soo_...where _are_ we going exactly?" Sokka suspiciously asked.

"As I said before I am going to give you a quick tour for you around the place and then our last stop will be at the tower." Sakura chirped in happily.

"I don't see a tower anywhere around here...do you Toph?" Aang asked his friend.

"No I don't _see_ it anywhere but I probably could feel it in the vibrations in the earth."

"It's not really a tower...it's more like a huge mansion. It's where are formal parties are held, meetings, other things. It is also where are leaders officially live and work." Sakura said while turning right.

"Wait...you said more than one leader, right?" Katara sweetly asked from seeing the confusion on Sokka's face.

"Yes. We have fiv-four! Four leaders...we have four leaders. One of them is on a mission at the moment though." Sakura hurriedly said the last part correcting herself.

The Gaang were wondering what that was about. Sakura was saying five leaders but then changed it to four. Why did she do that? Did they have five leaders but one left, resigned, or...And what was with the_ missions_? What kind of missions did they go on?

"Anyway...the four leaders all represent something different. Here we have the leader's represent the 4 elements. That doesn't mean they can use that element or any element for that matter. The element they were given to represent, represented their personality, ideas, goals, or way of life. And everyone else respects that."

When she explained a little more of this the questions they had were gone and replaced with new ones. "Wow...that's amazing! I wonder who the leaders are...what are their names?" Aang asked in amazement.

"Don't worry...you'll meet them soon."

* * *

"And this is the tower." Sakura stated.

The tower was elegant and outstanding at the same time. The tower looked more like a cylindrical that was completely white. There wasn't a scratch on it. There were five banners hanging on the tower. The furthest to the right was the banner for earth. It had the earth element symbol on it but it was more formal, more detailed. To the farthest left of the banners was the banner for water and once again more elegantly designed. To the left of the earth banner was a banner for air. To the right of the water banner was also a banner for air but it had more of a wind-ish style. And in the middle of the banners was a big red symbol. It looked familiar to all the members of Gaang but none of them could place it. In a way it resembled a red and black eye...

Just then they walked inside the mansion like tower. It was also very unique with white flowery-ish designed walls and a dark bluish green carpet. It had many chairs and couches in the very spacious room. At the front of the room was a desk with a door behind it. There was also two other doors, one on each side of the desk. No one was in the mid-lighted room leaving just the 6 of them (including Momo).

"We have a couple of hours before the leaders are ready to see you. They have a lot of work to do today. I will be taking to your new rooms for as long as you're here." Saskura went to the door on the right-side of the desk and went down the hall with the Gaang following her.

Originally the Gaang would be going to Ba Sing Se to see the earth king but they actually were a few weeks ahead of their original schedule. However, that doesn't explain why they aren't finding Oppa. The reason for that is they were very happy and excited for the moment meeting these new people. On top of that their past memories were a little clogged because of the sand storm. For now they just wanted to rest and then when they would be feeling better they would continue on their journey and find Oppa.

They came to four different rooms all together. The two rooms for the girls were just across from boy's new rooms. The rooms were all the same and pretty simple but they still had a royalty complexion to them. The rooms all had a light grey hue to the walls and the carpets were dark bluish-black. The rooms were pretty homey and comfortable.

"In about 20 minutes we will have dinner in the dining room. There you will meet three of the leaders for the 5th Empire. You all have a closet of clean cloths if you need any and all of your rooms have an attached bathroom. I have a few things to do but in 19 minutes I will be here to bring you all to dinner. Enjoy..." And with that Sakura went back the way they came and disappeared around the corner. If you listened hard enough you could still hear her echoing footsteps go down the hall.

The Gaang spent about 15 min just soaking in the details of their rooms and were just putting their stuff away when they heard footsteps coming down the hall. The only thing was they still had about 4 minutes left until Sakura was supposed to come...so who could it be...

* * *

She searched through the mail trying to find anything with enough importance for her to open. Nothing gained her attention yet. Everything was just letters of admiration from the public and junk mail. That is until her delicate fingers brushed a mission letter. The only mission going on that would need the direct leaders to see was only when it involved one of the leaders. She gasped when it clicked. They did have a leader on a mission, a very dangerous mission that has lasted for about 5 months now. But it wasn't just that it was a hazardous mission, or that it was one of the leaders, it was also that the leader was one of her best friends. So were the other leaders but he was just...different. He wasn't her favorite...partially because she didn't have favorites but still...

When her fingers brushed the letter she immediately left the study room and ran down the hallways to give the letter to its rightful owner. She really wanted to open it to see if her friend was okay but he wasn't just her friend...he was everyone else's friends too. She ran and ran until she couldn't breathe. She was almost there...to the dining room where the leader sat with their new friends. She quickly walked up to the door and grabbed the handles. She took a deep breath before pushing the doors open without knocking. To say everyone was surprised to see her, how she was sweating, or how she sucked in gasps of breath would be an understatement.

"Guys...we...have...a...letter...from..."

"Just spill it out Hinata! Who is it from?!" The idiotic leader yelled.

"From...the S squad."

"Isn't that the squad...Sasuke was leading..." He started to ask while everyone else grew silent knowing what it was. Even the Gaang quieted down when noticing how much tension was in the air at the moment. They wondered why they were so serious. Then they remembered earlier how Sakura had stated that one of their leaders were on a mission. Maybe this is what she was talking about...

"Yes..."

* * *

37 minutes before that...

When the Gaang members had looked outside it was indeed Sakura who was there. She told them she finished a little early and would take them to dinner when they were ready. They hurried up and followed her down a different hall (they could have sworn they were in a maze of some sort). They reached a nice room with oak wood at their feet and three big chandeliers above them. In the middle of the room was the largest or longest table any members of Gaang have ever see (Toph's first table seen) and were amazed at how neat everything was set up. They were told were to sit so they did. Then they just waited for the others to get there.

When the door opened they expected to see an old man with dull grey hair and a beard not a young kid with bright yellow hair who seemed to be even younger than them.

"This is Katara, Toph, Avatar Aang and Sokka. Oh and that's Momo." Sakura told the bright hair guy in order of the seating arrangements. "And this is none other than one of the leaders-"e

"-Who represents the element of air." He cut in.

"Yes, and he was the other-"

"-I was the other person in your hospital room when you guys woke up-" He cut in again.

"Yes, and-"

"-My name is N-"

Just then Sakura hit the kid in the head with her fist. "STOP CUTTING IN AND LET ME FINISH!" She angrily yelled. Well that proved that the Gaang members were right...Sakura did have a dark side like Katara's but maybe Sakura's was a little bit more violent.

"Okay Sakura-chan." He quickly said before she would hit him again.

"Thank you," She hissed through her teeth. "This is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Oy!"

Sakura swatted at him.

The next person they met was a boy called Gaara who represented the earth element. He was much calmer and quieter than Naruto. Next they met the water representer, Suigetsu Hozuki. He was also calmer and cooler than Naruto but louder and more talkative than Gaara for sure. The last person they met was a girl named Hinata Hyuga. She was nice in their opinions but they didn't get to get to know her that much because she was in a jiffy to get the rest of her work done. Maybe they would see her later...

* * *

"A letter from Sasuke!" Naruto literally screeched out. "Hurry up and open it!" Everyone else nodded very fast wanting to know about Sasuke...was he alive? Was he injured? Was he missing...?

Hinata gulped and began to tear the letter open. She took the letter out, gulped, and read over it before telling them the news.

"M-m-many pe-pe-people d-d-d-ied. They co-co-couldn't he-help the Mist b-but otherwise their mi-mission was a suc-success." Hinata quavered Gaang had never heard of a letter like that before. They couldn't believe that people had died but then again...that's war for you. There were all sad they didn't help the Mist more and that the fact many people died...but at least the mission was accomplished...

"What about...Sasuke?" Naruto quietly asked her hoping for anything about Sasuke then...death...

"I-I-It s-sa-says h-h-here t-t-that S-S-Sasuke, h-h-he..."

* * *

There's a cliffhanger for you guys...hope you liked it.

I would like **4** more reviews until I give out the next chapter.

I have a lot planned for this story, but until I have 4 _**more** _**REVIEWS** I won't put up the next chapter.

Until then...

~Apsaras' out;)


	3. The Safe haven ain't that Safe anymore

I am sorry to say this but this is a little note. Some of the shinobi can bend a certain element or elements...

* * *

Previously on Avatar...

_~~1~~_

_"Where is he?! Where did you take Oppa?!"/"I traded him to some merchants! They are probably in Ba Sing Se."_

_"It's okay Aang...we'll find him."_

_~~2~~_

_"We need to get to the earth king and tell him about the eclipse!/ We need all the help we can get!"_

_~~3~~_

_"I have a bad feeling about this storm!"/ "We should stay together until the storm-"_

_~~4~~_

_"Where did you say you found them?"_

_"I found them in the desert during a nasty sand storm."_

_~~5~~_

_"Where are we?"/ "Who are you guys?"_

"_You are in The Secret Empire, Bìfēnggǎng, and my name is Sakura. This is Naruto, Gaara, and Suigetsu the leaders of our Empire and this is Hinata."_

_"You see we have fiv-four! Four leaders...we have four leaders. One of them is on a mission at the moment though."_

_"Our four leaders all represent something different. Here we have the leader's represent the 4 elements. That doesn't mean they can use that element or any element for that matter!"_

_~~6~~_

_"Hinata! Do you mean..."_

* * *

_"A letter from Sasuke!" Naruto literally screeched out. "Hurry up and open it!" Everyone else nodded very fast wanting to know about Sasuke...was he alive? Was he injured? Was he missing...?_

_Hinata gulped and began to tear the letter open. She took the letter out, gulped, and read over it before telling them the news._

_"Many people died. They couldn't help the Mist but otherwise their mission was a success." Hinata quavered. Gaang had never heard of a letter like that before. They couldn't believe that people had died but then again...that's war for you. There were all sad they didn't help the Mist more and that the fact many people died...but at least the mission was accomplished..._

_"What about...Sasuke?" Naruto quietly asked her hoping for anything about Sasuke then...death..._

_"It says here that Sasuke,_ _he..."_

* * *

Everyone was relieved, happy, shocked, speechless, and/or confused.

"What did you say..." Naruto re-asked.

"He's alive and well. Just a few scratches I bet." Hinata replied no longer anxious.

Naruto usually would have said something that meant no sense but even he knew when and when not to do something. "Good..." He quietly whispered to himself. The Gaang didn't really know what to do. They didn't know this Sasuke character and they didn't really know how to handle these types for situations.

All of the Gaang members had something happen to them that they could relate to something like this but they were all so young. Aang left the air temple after being told he was the avatar and that he was going to leave anyway. Because of this he was the only air bender who lived and he hasn't stopped the war yet. Katara and Sokka's mother was taken away from them by the fire nation while they were at young ages as well and then their father left to fight in the war. Toph left her family to come with her friends because she was tired of being known as _blind_, _fragile_, and_ harmless_. But of course now she wasn't _**any**_ of those things now...

They all respected someone else's story, space, personal life but...

"So-oooo...who exactly is Sasuke anyway?"

Sokka, being the suspicious one who had to know **_everything_**, had to ask anyway. Everyone displayed different emotions. Aang didn't do much cause he was wondering the same thing but he did feel sorry for Sokka when Katara turned his way. Katara was angry at her brother for asking something like that...especially after he could of been...dead. Toph looked at Sokka strangely and wondered if he knew anything about how people work.

Naruto didn't choke per se he just started coughing up his water, in a laugh or in shock no one knew. Sakura looked hurt but remembered they just got here...how were they supposed to know? Gaara's face remained the same but he looked at Sokka and raised an eyebrow. He was thinking along the lines of...why were they asking this? Didn't Sakura already tell them everything she knows about Sasuke? She is kind of obsessed with him after all...

But it was Suigetsu's doing that made everyone look at him. He started laughing...hard. Soo hard he had fallen out of his chair and was rolling on the ground.

"Sorry, hehe...it's just that, heh..._no one_ has _ever,_ hehe, asked _who_ **Sasuke** _was_ before..."

* * *

"Have a goodnight..." And with that everyone left the dining room to go rest. Sakura made sure they knew where they were doing but in the end Hinata was heading that way anyways.

The Gaang talked to Hinata a lot and figured out a lot of how things worked in Bifenggang. However Sokka just had to know another answer to a question he had all day so he asked it...like always. Hinata had completely stopped moving. She asked him why he wanted to know and he told her how earlier Sakura was saying 5 leaders but had quickly changed her mind and had said 4 instead. He wanted to know what that was about. And thinking about it...the rest of the members of Gaang wanted to know as well...

"There used to be 5 leaders that ran this empire. He also represented air with N-Naruto-kun. But...b-b-but he...h-h-e-he...He went on a mission similar to the mission Sasuke was in b-b-but...af-after the ba-b-battle no-no one could, no one coul-he w-was MIA." Hinata replied while a tear drop found its way down her cheek.

"What's MI-" Katara slapped her hand over Aang's mouth. She sadly whispered to him, "MIA means missing in action...he was probably killed but no one found a body." Aang most of gotten the point because he quickly shut his mouth and grew solemn. He started thinking about his missing bison, Oppa.

"Here's our room. Thank you Hinata...we-" "You'll find him!" Aang quickly cut in. Hinata's eyes grew wide with Aang's statement. She always had hoped that he was still alive somewhere, but she also knew he wouldn't scare them like this and unless he had a very good reason to be away he would've already come home. After all...it's almost been a year since he disappeared.

"Thank you Aang. Goodnight..." Hinata started walking away but before she rounded the corner Sokka asked her one last question, for now. "What was his name?" Katara silently promised Sokka a very painful death since he kept asking sensitive questions.

"T-the mis-missing leader was-is a very close fr-friend to the ot-others and a-ll of the pe-people...and l-like a big br-brother to me. His name wa-is, hi-his na-name is Hy-Hyuga Neji and he is my cousin."

* * *

The next morning came was around 9:00 in the morning and everyone showed up to eat a magnificent breakfast. After that Suigetsu and Naruto left saying they had to go do their **_chores_**. Sakura told the Gaang they weren't going to go work...they were going to go _**play**_. Gaara had some paper work to go do but said it wouldn't take too long. After the 3 of them left Hinata had to send a letter to Sasuke's team written by all of them (minus the Gaang). Soon after that Sakura told them they could go check out the town while she had some _actual_ **_chores_** to do. She gave them some money, a map, and told them lunch would be in a few hours if they were hungry be then.

The town was amazing. They already had a small tour of the place but they didn't get to see everything. THere were bright colors everywhere. Blues, greens, oranges, yellows, pinks, whites, purples, reds, golds, silvers, bronze colored items, and so on. Even the buildings were these types of colors. The Gaang had walked around for about an hour when they saw some dirt fly up in the distance. Sokka said he wanted to go make sure no enemies were invading the territory but the others knew he just wanted to see what was going on, and so did they.

It took them about a half an hour to get into the woods and get lost. When they were about to call it quits they saw it again only, much bigger. THey hid in the shrubs, bushes, and tress. That is when they found out one of the many secrets this empire had.

Naruto and Suigetsu were in the clearing sparring. Suigetsu used some sort of water technique on Naruto that pushed him back into one of the trees. Suigetsu was a water bender...and he represented water! The Gaang thought back to the time where Sakura had told them that none of the leaders had elements but then they stopped. She had said, "_The leader represent the 4 elements. However, that doesn't mean they can use that element or any element for that matter!"  
_Then they realized she was covering tup for them. She didn't want the Gaang to know that they could bend but why? And if Suigetsu represented water and could water bend did that mean...

Naruto spun off the tree just in time for the tree to be smashed into a couple of pieces. Naruto leapt up into the air and landed on a tree branch. Immediately after he did that he spun around in 5 bid circles and threw his arms out.

Naruto represented air...

A gust of wind was thrown at Suigetsu but a wall of water surrounded him so when the air hit it the water was the one who got hit.

So could Naruto...

Suigetsu shot some water bullets out of his mouth that spun through the air towards Naruto.

So could Naruto be an air bender...

Naruto saw it coming and jumped to the side where he put his right leg in front of his left one and repeated the action he had just done But he stopped abruptly and started to spin the opposite way.

Naruto was using air...so he had to be an-

Because he did this he created a vacuum of air that started to suck Suigetsu in.

AIRBENDER!

However, Suigetsu wasn't the only one sucked into the air vacuum. The members of the Gaang were hiding right behind the vacuum and it was starting to pull them in as well! The next thing you know is that Suigetsu, Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Momo all crashed into one another and ended up being a big bundle of arms Naruto was confused at first but then it clicked. They had been watching them...

Nah.

...more like spying on them!

The Gaang looked up to see Naruto looking down at them with an unreadable expression. This couldn't end well...after all, they **_were_** caught.

* * *

**He** _was unconscious. Oh well...**He** would continue **His** game tomorrow. **His** victim wouldn't consider it a game...I guess he would just have to live through the torture...if that was possible. But at the moment **He** had a meeting with some of **His** _new_ allies. _

_**He** walked down the long, dark, shadowy corridor. There were torches that lightened the walls to some degree. It was turn after turn after turn. Left, right, left, right, straight, right, left, so on and so on. **He** continued to walk until **He** reached the big spacious room. In the middle of the room was a long dark brown table. There were many seats that were fitted long the table and all of them but 2 were weren't empty. **He** walked into the room with a posture of ones predator examining its prey. **His** right handed man stood up when **He** walked into the room and sat back down once his master was seated. Everyone else followed after silver-ish grey haired man. _

_Once **He** sat down the meeting had begun. **He** looked at **His** follower and **His** follower pushed his glasses up signaling to him that everyone there was frightened of him. **He** smirked. Everything was going according to **His** plan._

* * *

Her father approached her and she bowed her head. He told her to come into the war room in a couple of minutes to discuss some last minute planning. She obeyed his wishes and only entered when she was called upon. She walked into the room watching the captains, generals, and admirals cower in fear of her. Oh yes, she wasn't one to be taken lightly. She wasn't a prodigy for nothing. She continued to look around at the others in the room like they were nothing but tools, slaves or servants. She was allowed to treat them like that. After all she was the fire nation's princ-

"Azula. _Pay_ attention because if you don't know what you're doing you could fail-" "Excuse me Fire Lord Ozai! But I have_ urgent_ news! The Avatar has _disappeared!_ We can't find _any_ trace of him **_at all__!"_** The entire room went into silence. This was not expected. If the Avatar _wasn't_ going to Ba Sing Se, maybe. If he changed his route, could be, but_ vanished_ into **_thin air_**. The Avatar was the last airbender but still...**_this_** was _never_ heard of before.

"Change of plans, Azula. Take your friends and hunt the Avatar down." Then he addressed the messenger, "Where was he last? Do you have any idea of where he could have gone?" Ozai asked sternly.

"Not to worry anyone but we believe he literally_ vanished_ into thin air."

"Explain." Ozai growled out.

"There is this place that people are talking about. It is said that only a select few are allowed to go into this secretive place. Some people are saying that they believe the guardians of the land have allowed the Avatar in under certain circumstances. Some of my reliable sources are telling me that's what they believe."

"Where can this place be found?"

"As I said before no one has ever found it before. They have to be allowed in..."Ozai looked like he was ready to murder someone so the messenger kept going. "Otherwise, most people, and my sources say that people tend to disappear in the Si Wong desert. That is where my sources are telling me the key to open the land is."

"Azula. You and your group will go to the Si Wong Desert and find this place."

"Yes father..."

"If you are to find Zuko or Iroh along the way, try to..._persuade them_ to help you. We don't know where exactly this place is, how well guarded it is, how many warriors they have, or how strong they are. _Do_ you understand? After all, Iroh is the only traitor."

Azula did not want Zuko or Iroh to help her. She could do everything perfectly fine, but if she brought those two here then...her father would want her as the next heir even more. "Yes father, I understand." She replied with her teeth clenched.

"Also,_ what_ is the name of this place **_exactly?"_**

"The rumors say it is called the _5th Empire,_ otherwise known as **_Bifenggang_**, _the_ safe haven."

Ozai smirked. Well...it wouldn't be _"the safe haven"_ when he was done with it. And Azula had the same thoughts.

* * *

I would like to have** 5** more reviews before I continue.

That would be a total of **13** reviews in all.

So **REVIEW!**

Thank you...

~Apsaras out;)


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